Drivers of Dublin Bus reject plan for high salary with less resting time

Most drivers of Dublin Bus voted on Thursday against the plan to increase their salaries while increasing their load of work.

More than 90 per cent of the drivers of the Irish state-owned public transportation company Dublin Bus or 1,700 of them thwarted on Thursday by ballot a deal from Siptu and the National Bus and Rail Union or NBRU that will raise their salary by 15 per cent in exchange for new rules on how they work, according to a recent report by the Irish Times.

Dublin Bus took their decision into account after the announcement of results on the night of Thursday, adding, “The company will now consider this result”.

Observers expect both Siptu and the NBRU to release a joint statement on Friday after failing to comment on the results.

The decision has left dangling the plan of Bus Connects by Dublin Bus that seeks to fix mass transportation in Dublin.

Changes in working routine such requiring workers in one or two particular routes to drive various services off their garages have made the drivers reject the proposals, worrying that they could increase their driving schedule within their 39-hour week.

A statement on the deal from Siptu and the NBRU last month recognised that the unions disliked parts of the plan, but noted that they had increased salaries and fixed bonuses.

For operation until 2025, they planned a composite rate of salaries of 23.50 euros per hour from October, approximating 916 euros for a 39-hour week.

This provided payments for drivers on shifts and premiums with a contract that will require them to work on two Sundays out of every five.

Unions claimed that it would make advanced drivers earn 51,500 euros per year even without bonuses.

The scheme for bonuses in attendance would have reached 500 euros tax free, while the save driving bonus would have increased from 250 euros to 575 euros tax free.

Those that have been driving more than 20 years would have received extra annual leave.

The plan would have allocated a leave of two weeks rather than three in the summer with another week for the spring or winter.

Dublin Bus had sought to add one day to four uncertified sick days per year.It intended the Bus Connects to increase its competitiveness against other provides before its contract with the National Transport Authority expires in 2024, leading to additional routes getting out of reach from competitors.

Unions warned that failure to amend its working routine for the better could reduce the competitiveness of Dublin Bus.